法華傳記 1.9

1.9

謹按諸經目錄等。法華飜譯年代。略有六時。一者佛滅後一千二百三十年。前魏甘露元乙亥。即吳五鳳二年也。七月七日。外國支彊梁接。言正無畏。於交州城。沙門道馨筆受。譯成六卷。名法華三昧經者是也。二者一千二百四十年。西晉太始元乙酉。月支國沙門曇摩羅蜜。晉言法護。姓支氏。歷遊西域。解三十六國語及書。從天竺國齎持梵本來。譯成六卷。名薩芸芬陀梨法華經者是也。三者護更至太康七年丙午。廣譯成十卷。名正法華經者是也。永熙元年八月二十八日。比丘康那律。於洛陽寫之竟。時與清戒界節優婆塞張季博蕫景玄劉長武長文等。手執經本。詣白馬容。對與法護。口挍古訓。講出深義。以九月本齋十四日。於東牛寺中施檀大會。講誦此經竟日盡夜。無不咸歡。重已校定。四者一千二百八十四年。東晉咸康元乙未年。沙門支道林譯成六卷。名方等法華經者是也。五者一千三百五十三年。即姚秦弘始七甲辰。天竺沙門鳩摩羅什。秦云童壽。於長安逍遙園。譯成七卷或八卷。名妙法華經者是也。什與護相去。將一百餘年。六者一千五百五十年。即隋仁壽元辛酉。沙門笈多崛多。於興善寺譯成七卷。名添品法華經者是也。經序云。考驗護什二譯。定非一本。護似多羅葉。什似龜茲之文。而護所闕者。普門品偈。什所闕者。藥草喻品之半。富樓那及法師等二品之初。提婆達多品。普門品偈也。什又移囑累。在藥王之前。二本陀羅尼。並置普門之後。其間異同。言不能極。普曜寺沙門上行所請。遂共三藏崛多笈多二法師。於大興善寺。重勘天竺多羅葉本。富樓那及法師等二品之初。勘本猶闕。藥草喻品。更益其半。提婆達多。通入寶塔品。陀羅尼神力之後。囑累還結其終。千萬億偈妙義難盡。重勘之時。略用三例。一者移品如神力囑累等。二者添文如藥草半普門偈等。三者改言如二品呪等。自餘諸文。全依什本。並無所改。就六譯中。三存三沒。於三存中。妙本最長。普賢夢授句逗。無文義謬。南山問天曰。什師一代所飜之經。至今若新。受持轉盛何耶。答曰。其人聰明善解大乘。以下諸人。並皆後人一代之寶也。絕後光前。仰之不及。故其譯經以悟達為先。得佛遺寄之高位在三賢。自手出經。後至今盛誦。無有替廢。冥祥感降歷代彌新。以此證量。深會經旨。又文殊指授。今其刪定。特異常倫。豈以別室見譏。頓忘玄致。殊不足涉言（已上）更依僧傳及別傳經錄等。略敘什譜。本是天竺人也。累世國相。父鳩摩羅炎。聰明有懿節。將嗣相位。乃辭出家。東度葱嶺。龜茲王聞其棄榮。甚敬慕之為國師。王有妹。年始二十。才悟明敏。過目必能。一聞則誦。且體有赤黶。法生智子。諸國娉之並不許。及見羅炎。心欲當之。乃逼以妻焉。良久不懷。王親問妹。汝夫何術。答云。行欲之時誦一偈云。處世界如虛空。如蓮華不著水。若是此偈力歟。王曰。汝宜妖情。既而懷什。什在胎。其母慧解倍常。有阿羅漢達磨瞿沙曰。此必懷智子。為他說舍利弗在胎之證。及什生之後。還忘前言。什母出家學得初果。什年七歲。亦俱出家。從師受經。日誦千偈。偈有三十二字。凡三萬二千言。即自通達。無幽不暢。九歲隨母。渡辛頭河至罽賓。遇槃頭達多。即王之從弟也。才明博識。通達三藏九部。名播諸國。遠近師之。什至即崇以師禮。從受雜藏中長二含。凡四百萬言。王請入宮。集外道論師。共相論議。什乘隙而挫之。黑山既傾。白日圓彰。王甚歡喜。以外國之上供而供。所住寺僧。則差大僧五人沙彌十人。營視掃灑。其見尊崇如此。年十二其母携還龜茲。諸國皆聘以好爵。什並不顧受。後什母將什改至月氏。北山有一阿羅漢。見而異之。謂其母曰。常當守護。若至三十五。不破戒品者。當大興隆佛法度無數人。凡厥興化與優婆掘多無異。什進到沙勒國。頂戴佛鉢隨心念。即有輕重。停住沙勒一年。誦通阿毘曇及十二門等。無所滯礙。有三歲沙門名喜見。語王曰。此沙彌不可輕。王宜請令開法門有二益。一國內沙門。恥其不及。必見勉強。二龜茲王。必謂什出我國我妹所生。而彼尊之是尊我也。必來交好。王許焉。即設大會。請什伸高座。說法轉輪。龜茲果遣重使。酬其親好。什以說法之暇。乃尋訪外道經書。明達四韋陀典十八大經及五明論等。時有草車王子參軍王子兄弟二人。委國請從而為沙門。才伎絕倫。兄字須利耶跋陀。弟號須利耶蘇摩。專以大乘為化。特弘法華。其兄及諸學人。皆共師焉。什亦宗而奉之。為什說阿耨達經。什聞空旨怪悟。方知理有所歸。專務方等。乃歎言。吾昔學小乘。如人不識金以鍮石為妙。因廣求義要。遍遊五竺諸國。誦法華大品首楞嚴等諸大乘經。受中百二論及十二門大智度論等。諸國義學。皆以伏膺資之。隨母還到溫宿國。即龜茲之北界。時有一道士。振名諸國。什以二義撿道士宗。於是聲聞諸國。譽宣海外。龜茲王躬往迎什還國。廣說諸經。四韋學宗。莫之能抗。母已證二果。有頃辭往天竺。謂王曰。汝國尋衰吾其去矣。行至天竺。進登三果。其母臨去謂什曰。法華方等摩訶般若深教。應大闡真丹傳之東土。唯爾之力。但於己身無利。其如何。什白言。大士之道忘己利。彼若必使大化流傳。能開悟朦俗。雖身當爐鑊苦更無恨。於是留住止于新寺。後於寺側故宮中。初得放光。住降伏天魔。停住三年。廣誦大乘經論。洞其祕藏奧旨。王為造金師子座。以大秦錦褥鋪之。令什昇而說法。什曰。家師盤頭達多。猶未悟大乘。欲躬往化不得停此。俄而大師不遠而去。大乘空義聖復共。至經一月餘日。方乃信服。歎曰。和上是我大乘師。我是和上小乘師矣。西域諸國。咸服什神俊。每至講說。諸王皆長跪座側。令什踐而登焉。其見重如此。什既道流西域。名被東川。時符堅僣號關中。有外國前部王及龜茲王弟。並來朝。堅云。西域多產珍奇。請兵往定以求。至堅建元十三年丁丑正月。太史奏云。有星見外國分野。當有大德智人入輔中國。堅曰。朕聞。西域有鳩摩羅什。襄陽有沙門道安。將非此耶。即遣使求之。十八年九月。堅遣呂光等。卒兵七萬。西伐龜茲及烏耆。光既獲什。未測其量。見年少乃凡人。戲之強妻以龜茲王女。什不受辭甚苦。光還中路。置軍於山下。將士已休。什曰。不可在此。必見狼狽。宜徙軍隴山上。光不納諫。至夜果大雨洪起深數丈。死者數千。光始密而異之。光從之至涼州。聞符堅已為姚萇所害。不久光又卒。子紹襲位數日。光庶了纂。殺紹自立。稱元咸寧。與什博戲。殺纂曰。斫胡奴頭。什曰。不能斫胡奴頭。胡奴將斫人頭。此言有旨。光弟保有子名超。超小字胡奴。後果殺之。時人方驗什之言也。什停涼積年。呂光父子。既不弘道。無所宣化。符堅已亡。竟不相見。及姚萇。諸呂以什智計多解。恐為姚謀。不許東入。及萇卒。子興襲位。復遣敦請興。弘始三年三月。有樹連理。生于廣庭。逍遙園葱變為[卄/((厂-一)*臣)]。以為美瑞。謂智人應入。五月伐呂隆。方得迎什入關。以其年十二月二十日。至于長安。興侍以國師之禮。仍請入西明閣及逍遙園譯出眾經。沙門僧[(丰*力)/石]僧叡僧肇等八百餘人。諮受什旨。既令出大品。什持胡本。興執舊經。以相讎校其新。興既靈襟。崇仰佛法。恒於大寺草堂之中。供三千僧。與什參定新舊諸經。弘始七年冬。更譯法華。興執法護經相挍。什誦梵本。僧叡等筆受。至于五百弟子授記品。什曰。昔護譯云天見人人見天。此語與西域義同。但在言過質。叡應聲曰。將非人天交接兩得相見乎。什大喜。凡譯經論。九十八部四百二十五卷。著實相論及注維摩經。撰馬鳴龍樹提婆等傳。述安樂土義經生人傳菩提心義等。凡佛法東漸以來。大化普潤多是什公力也。相傳云。什師是文殊化形。昔靈山為發起。今日譯經。若執筆時。從筆放光。光中或時現文殊形。或現佛身。四王加護。於中多聞隨身（云云）。予見什公行本是大聖。亦居三賢。所譯妙典。感通寔有所以矣。

I respectfully examine the various sūtra catalogues and other records. The periods of translating the Lotus Sūtra roughly fall into six times: First, 1,230 years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, in the Ganlu era, first year, yihai, of the former Wei, which was the second year of Wufeng of the Wu [255 CE]. On the seventh day of the seventh month, the foreigner Zhi Qiangliangjie—whose name means 'Correct Fearlessness'—in the city of Jiaozhou, with the monk Daoxin serving as amanuensis, translated it into six fascicles, named the Fahua sanmei jing (Lotus Samādhi Sūtra). Second, 1,240 years [after parinirvāṇa], in the Taishi era, first year, yiyou, of the Western Jin [265 CE], the monk Dharmarakṣa from the Yuezhi kingdom—called Fahu in Jin, of the Zhi clan—having traveled throughout the Western Regions and understanding the languages and scripts of thirty-six kingdoms, brought a Sanskrit manuscript from India and translated it into six fascicles, named the Sayun fendouli fahua jing (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Lotus Sūtra). Third, [Dharma]rakṣa further in the Taikang era, seventh year, bingwu [286 CE], broadly translated it into ten fascicles, named the Zheng fahua jing. On the twenty-eighth day of the eighth month of the first year of Yongxi [290 CE], the monk Kang Nalu finished copying it in Luoyang. At that time, together with the laymen of pure moral restraint Zhang Jibo, Dong Jingxuan, Liu Changwu, Changwen, and others, holding the text of the sūtra in hand, he went to the Baima Monastery. Facing Dharmarakṣa, they orally compared ancient glosses and explained the profound meaning. On the fourteenth day of the ninth-month root fast, they held a grand assembly of dāna in the Dongniu Monastery, lecturing on and reciting this sūtra day and night to the end, and all were filled with joy; it was collated and finalized again. Fourth, 1,284 years [after parinirvāṇa], in the Xiankang era, first year, yiwei, of the Eastern Jin [335 CE], the monk Zhi Daolin translated it into six fascicles, named the Fangdeng fahua jing (Vaipulya Lotus Sūtra). Fifth, 1,353 years [after parinirvāṇa], namely the Hongshi era, seventh year, jiachen, of the Yao Qin [405 CE], the Indian monk Kumārajīva—called Tongshou in Qin—in the Xiaoyao Garden at Chang'an, translated it into seven or eight fascicles, named the Miaofahua jing (Sublime Lotus Sūtra). Kumārajīva was separated from Dharmarakṣa by slightly over a hundred years. Sixth, 1,550 years [after parinirvāṇa], namely the Renshou era, first year, xinyou, of the Sui [601 CE], the monk [Jñāna]gupta and [Dharma]gupta, at Xingshan Monastery, translated it into seven fascicles, named the Tianpin fahua jing (Additional Chapters Lotus Sūtra). The preface of the sūtra states: 'Examining the two translations of [Dharma]rakṣa and Kumārajīva, they were certainly not from the same manuscript. [Dharma]rakṣa's resembles a tāla leaf [manuscript], while Kumārajīva's resembles a text from Kucha. What was lacking in [Dharma]rakṣa's was the verses of the "Universal Gate" chapter. What was lacking in Kumārajīva's was half of the "Medicinal Herbs" chapter, the beginnings of the two chapters "Pūrṇa" and "Dharma Master", the "Devadatta" chapter, and the verses of the "Universal Gate" chapter. Kumārajīva also moved the "Entrustment" chapter before "Bhaiṣajyarāja", and placed the dhāraṇīs of both versions after the "Universal Gate". The differences between them cannot be fully recounted.' At the request of the monk Shangxing of Pulao Monastery, together with the two Tripiṭaka Dharma Masters [Jñāna]gupta and Dharmagupta at Da Xingshan Monastery, they re-examined the Indian tāla-leaf manuscript. The beginnings of the two chapters 'Pūrṇa' and 'Dharma Master' were still lacking in the collated manuscript. For the 'Medicinal Herbs' chapter, they further added its [missing] half; 'Devadatta' was incorporated into the 'Treasure Stūpa' chapter; after 'Dhāraṇī' and 'Divine Transcendent Powers', 'Entrustment' was returned to conclude it at the end. The wondrous meanings of thousands of myriads of koṭis of verses are hard to exhaust. When re-examining it, they roughly employed three principles: First, rearranging chapters, such as 'Divine Transcendent Powers', 'Entrustment', and so forth. Second, adding text, such as the half of 'Medicinal Herbs', the verses of 'Universal Gate', and so forth. Third, altering wording, such as the spells of the two chapters. All the other passages fully relied on Kumārajīva's text, without any alteration. Among the six translations, three are extant and three are lost. Among the three extant, the Sublime [Kumārajīva] version is the best: Samantabhadra instructed its phrasing in a dream, and it contains no error in phrasing or meaning. Nanshan asked the deity, 'Why is it that the sūtras translated by Master Kumārajīva during his generation remain fresh down to the present day, and their upholding is ever more flourishing?' The reply was, 'That man was intelligent and adept at understanding the Mahāyāna. Those below him are all later men, though he was the treasure of a generation. Leaving nothing behind and illuminating what went before, others cannot catch up with looking up to him. Therefore, in translating sūtras he took awakening and understanding as paramount; he obtained the Buddha's bequeathed high station, ranked among the three grades of worthies. Having produced the sūtras with his own hands, their chanting down to the present is flourishing and has never fallen into disuse. Unseen auspicious resonances descend, growing ever newer across successive generations. By this verification, he deeply conformed to the purport of the sūtras. Moreover, Mañjuśrī gave him direct instruction, causing his revisions to be uniquely extraordinary among his peers. How could he, because of being ridiculed over a separate chamber, suddenly forget the profound principle? It is truly not worth speaking of.' (End of quotation.) Furthermore, relying on the Biographies of Monks, separate biographies, and sūtra catalogues, Kumārajīva's lineage is briefly recounted. He was originally a native of India. For generations his family had been state ministers. His father, Kumārāyana, was intelligent and possessed excellent character. When about to inherit the position of minister, he resigned to renounce household life and crossed east of the Congling Mountains. The king of Kucha, hearing that he had abandoned worldly glory, deeply revered and admired him, making him the National Preceptor. The king had a younger sister, just twenty years old, of bright and sharp intelligence; whatever passed before her eyes she could certainly grasp, and hearing something once, she would recite it. Moreover, her body had a red birthmark, indicating she would give birth to a wise son. When various kingdoms sought her in marriage, none were granted. When she saw [Kumār]āyana, she wished in her heart to take him, and so forced him to marry her. For a long time she did not conceive. The king personally asked his sister, 'What technique does your husband use?' She replied, 'When engaging in desire, he recites a verse: "Dwelling in the world is like empty space, / like a lotus flower unattached to water." Perhaps it is by the power of this verse?' The king said, 'You should cultivate bewitching feelings.' Soon she was pregnant with Kumārajīva. While Kumārajīva was in the womb, his mother's wise understanding doubled above normal. An arhat named Dharmaghoṣa said, 'She must be carrying a wise son,' and explained to them the proof of Śāriputra being in the womb. When Kumārajīva was born, she forgot her earlier words. Kumārajīva's mother renounced household life, studied, and attained the first fruit [of stream-entry]. When Kumārajīva was seven years old, he also renounced household life together with her. Receiving sūtras from his teacher, he recited a thousand verses a day; each verse had thirty-two syllables, totaling thirty-two thousand words. He understood them on his own, with nothing hidden that was not mastered. At age nine, following his mother, he crossed the Indus River to Kaśmīra and met Bandhudatta, who was the king's cousin. Possessed of brilliant talent and broad learning, he had thoroughly mastered the Tripiṭaka and the nine divisions of scriptures, and his fame spread across kingdoms, with people near and far taking him as teacher. When Kumārajīva arrived, he revered him with the etiquette of a teacher, and received from him the Dirghāgama and Madhyamāgama of the miscellaneous piṭaka, totaling four million words. The king invited him into the palace and gathered non-Buddhist disputants to debate together. Kumārajīva took advantage of their weaknesses and crushed them: once the dark mountain collapsed, the bright sun was fully revealed. The king was greatly delighted and made offerings with the finest provisions of foreign lands. The monks of the monastery where he stayed assigned five fully ordained monks and ten novices to attend to him and sweep and sprinkle, so revered was he. At age twelve, his mother took him back to Kucha. Various kingdoms all sought him with fine titles, but Kumārajīva paid no attention and accepted none. Later, Kumārajīva's mother took him to Yuezhi. On the North Mountain there was an arhat who saw him, marvelled at him, and told his mother, 'You must constantly guard and protect him. If he reaches age thirty-five without breaking his precepts, he will greatly propagate the Buddhadharma and deliver countless people; his uplifting transformation will be no different from that of Upagupta.' Kumārajīva proceeded to the kingdom of Kašgar. Carrying the Buddha's alms-bowl on his head, it felt light or heavy according to the thoughts of his mind. He stayed in Kašgar for a year, reciting and mastering the Abhidharma, the Twelve Gates [Treatise], and so forth, without any hindrance. There was a monk of three years' standing named Xijian, who said to the king, 'This novice should not be taken lightly. The king should invite him to open the Dharma-gate, which will bring two benefits: first, the monks in the kingdom, ashamed of falling short of him, will surely exert themselves; second, the king of Kucha will surely say, "Kumārajīva came from my kingdom and was born of my sister, yet they revere him; this is revering me," and will surely come to establish friendly relations.' The king agreed. He then held a grand assembly, inviting Kumārajīva to ascend the high seat to preach the Dharma and turn the wheel. Kucha indeed sent important envoys to reciprocate friendly relations. In his leisure from preaching the Dharma, Kumārajīva searched for non-Buddhist scriptures, thoroughly understanding the four Vedas, the eighteen great scriptures, and the treatises on the five sciences. At that time, there were two brothers, Prince Caoche and Prince Canjun, who abandoned their kingdom and asked to follow him as monks; their talents and skills were peerless. The elder brother was named Sūryabhadra, and the younger was named Sūryasoma. They focused on using the Mahāyāna for transformation, especially propagating the Lotus Sūtra. The elder brother and all fellow students took him as teacher. Kumārajīva also honoured and served him. He preached the Anavatapta-sūtra to Kumārajīva. Hearing the principle of emptiness, Kumārajīva had a startling awakening and only then knew that the truth had its destination. Devoting himself to the Vaipulya teachings, he sighed and said, 'In the past I studied the Hīnayāna, like a man who did not recognise gold and took brass to be wondrous.' Thereupon he broadly sought the essentials of meaning, traveling throughout the kingdoms of the five regions of India, reciting the Lotus, the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, the Śūraṅgama-samādhi, and other Mahāyāna sūtras, and receiving the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, the Śataka-śāstra, the Dvādaśamukha-śāstra, the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, and so forth. The scholars of doctrine from various kingdoms all yielded in admiration and studied under him. Following his mother, he returned to the kingdom of Wensu, which was the northern border of Kucha. At that time, there was a Daoist master whose fame shook various kingdoms. Kumārajīva examined the Daoist doctrine with two arguments [and refuted it]. Thereupon his renown was heard across kingdoms and his praise spread beyond the seas. The king of Kucha went in person to welcome Kumārajīva back to the kingdom. He broadly preached various sūtras, and no proponent of the four Vedas could withstand him. His mother had already attained the second fruit [of once-returner]. Before long, she bade farewell to go to India, saying to the king, 'Your kingdom will soon decline; I shall depart.' Reaching India, she advanced to attain the third fruit [of non-returner]. As his mother was about to leave, she told Kumārajīva, 'The profound teachings of the Lotus, the Vaipulya, and the Mahāprajñāpāramitā should be widely propagated in China and transmitted to the Eastern lands. Only you have the power to do so; yet for your own person there will be no benefit. What will you do?' Kumārajīva replied, 'The way of a great being is to forget oneself and benefit others. If only the great transformation can be spread abroad and awaken the deluded world, even if my body should face the suffering of the furnace and cauldron, I shall have no regret.' Thereupon he remained and stayed at the New Monastery. Later, in the old palace beside the monastery, he first obtained the emission of light and dwelt in subduing the heavenly Māra. Staying for three years, he broadly recited Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises, penetrating their secret treasuries and profound meanings. The king made a golden lion throne for him, spread with a cushion of Daqin brocade, and bade Kumārajīva ascend to preach the Dharma. Kumārajīva said, 'My teacher Bandhudatta has not yet awakened to the Mahāyāna; I wish to go in person to convert him and cannot remain here.' Soon the master arrived from not far away, and they debated the Mahāyāna emptiness teachings. After more than a month, he was finally convinced, sighing, 'The Upādhyāya is my Mahāyāna teacher, and I am the Upādhyāya's Hīnayāna teacher.' The kingdoms of the Western Regions all admired Kumārajīva's divine pre-eminence. Whenever he lectured, the kings would all kneel beside the seat, having Kumārajīva step upon them to ascend; so highly was he respected. As Kumārajīva's renown spread through the Western Regions and reached the eastern lands, Fu Jian had usurped the title [of emperor] in the Guanzhong region. The king of the Qianbu kingdom and the younger brother of the king of Kucha both came to pay court. [Fu] Jian said, 'The Western Regions produce many rare treasures; let us send troops to conquer them and seek them out.' In the thirteenth year of Jianyuan of Fu Jian, dingchou, the first month [377 CE], the Grand Astrologer reported, 'A star has appeared in the astronomical field of foreign kingdoms; a person of great virtue and wisdom is destined to enter and assist the Middle Kingdom.' [Fu] Jian said, 'I have heard that in the Western Regions there is Kumārajīva, and in Xiangyang there is the monk Dao'an; could it not be them?' He immediately sent envoys to seek them. In the eighteenth year, the ninth month [382 CE], [Fu] Jian dispatched Lü Guang and others, commanding seventy thousand troops, to march west to attack Kucha and Karasahr. When [Lü] Guang captured Kumārajīva, not knowing his true capacity and seeing that he was young, he took him for an ordinary man. Teasing him, he forced him to take the Kucha king's daughter as his wife; Kumārajīva refused, his pleas full of anguish. On the return journey, [Lü] Guang stationed the army at the foot of a mountain when the commanders and soldiers had already rested. Kumārajīva said, 'We must not stay here; we will certainly meet with disaster. We should move the army onto the Long mountain.' [Lü] Guang did not accept the admonition. At night, heavy rain indeed fell, causing a flood several zhang deep, killing several thousand people. [Lü] Guang then secretly marveled at him. [Lü] Guang followed him to Liangzhou, where he heard that Fu Jian had already been killed by Yao Chang. Soon after, [Lü] Guang also died. His son Shao inherited the position for only a few days when [Lü] Guang's illegitimate son Zuan killed Shao and established himself, taking the era name Xianning. While playing chess with Kumārajīva, when capturing a piece Zuan said, 'I cut off the barbarian slave's head!' Kumārajīva said, 'You cannot cut off the barbarian slave's head; the barbarian slave is about to cut off someone's head.' These words had a hidden meaning: [Lü] Guang's younger brother Bao had a son named Chao, whose childhood name was 'Barbarian Slave'. Later Chao indeed killed him; only then did people of the time verify Kumārajīva's words. Kumārajīva remained in Liang[zhou] for many years. Since Lü Guang and his son did not promote the Way, there was nothing to propagate. Fu Jian was already dead, so in the end they never met. When it came to Yao Chang, the various members of the Lü clan, knowing that Kumārajīva had many wise plans and deep understanding, feared he would plan for Yao [Chang], and would not permit him to enter the east. When [Yao] Chang died, his son [Yao] Xing succeeded to the throne and repeatedly sent polite invitations. In the third year of Hongshi of [Yao] Xing, the third month [401 CE], trees with interlocking branches grew in the spacious courtyard, and the scallions in the Xiaoyao Garden transformed into fragrant plants. These were considered auspicious omens, showing that a wise man was about to enter. In the fifth month, he attacked Lü Long, and only then was he able to welcome Kumārajīva into the pass. On the twentieth day of the twelfth month of that year, he arrived at Chang'an. [Yao] Xing received him with the etiquette of a National Preceptor, and invited him to enter the Ximing Pavilion and the Xiaoyao Garden to translate various sūtras. The monks Senglüe, Sengrui, Sengzhao, and others—over eight hundred persons—consulted and received Kumārajīva's instructions. When ordered to produce the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, Kumārajīva held the foreign text and [Yao] Xing held the old translation to compare and examine the new. [Yao] Xing, having a spiritual mind, revered the Buddhadharma and constantly offered provisions to three thousand monks in the Grass Hut of the Great Monastery, collating new and old sūtras together with Kumārajīva. In the winter of the seventh year of Hongshi [405 CE], they retranslated the Lotus Sūtra. [Yao] Xing held Dharmarakṣa's sūtra for comparison; Kumārajīva recited the Sanskrit text, and Sengrui and others took it down in writing. Reaching the 'Prediction for the Five Hundred Disciples' chapter, Kumārajīva said, 'In the past [Dharma]rakṣa translated it as "gods see men, men see gods." These words agree with the meaning in the Western Regions, but the phrasing is overly unadorned.' Rui answered in response, 'Could it not be "men and gods meet and interact, both being able to see one another"?' Kumārajīva was delighted. In total, he translated ninety-eight works in 425 fascicles of sūtras and treatises; composed the Shixiang lun (Treatise on the True Mark) and the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa; compiled biographies of Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, and others; and wrote the Meaning of the Land of Peace and Bliss, the Biographies of Rebirth, the Meaning of Bodhicitta, and so forth. Ever since the Buddhadharma gradually spread eastward, the broad nourishment of its great transformation has mostly been due to the power of Lord Kumārajīva. Tradition holds that Master Kumārajīva was an emanation of Mañjuśrī: having formerly initiated [the assembly] at Gṛdhrakūṭa, he was now translating sūtras. Whenever he held the brush, light radiated from the brush, and within the light sometimes appeared the form of Mañjuśrī, or the body of the Buddha; the Four Heavenly Kings added their protection, among whom the Knowledgeable One [Vaiśravaṇa] accompanied his person (and so forth). I see that Lord Kumārajīva was fundamentally a great sage, and also ranked among the three grades of worthies; there was indeed a reason for the sympathetic resonances of the sublime scriptures he translated.